The Impressionist Photo

Innovation comes from a break in tradition. Darryll Schiff does this by implementing new ideas into a traditional method of image-making -- photography.

Schiff has been a pioneer of experimental photography since his early works as a student of design, studying under his mentors Arthur Siegel, Joseph Jachna, Gary Winograd and Aron Siskind. Schiff’s works are characterized by an interest in contemplative moments, expressionistic abstraction and a unique broadening of what we know photography to be. Darryll Schiff uses his camera as a tool to compose stunning works of art much more reminiscent of a painting than a still record of time and space. Moving from experimentation to an established practice, Darryll Schiff positions himself as an impressionist of 21st-century photography.

The impressionists laid the groundwork for Darryll Schiff’s trajectory of photo-based works that challenge our notion of representational art in the 21st Century. Schiff explores the way a glimpse is more powerful than a focused rendering through works that depict a fleeting moment in time.

Sanober Khan’s poem finds resonance in Schiff’s latest series, Rapture, which conveys the beauty reflected by the impermanent and ephemeral qualities of life.

Rapture captures figures with long exposure and intentional color vibrations achieved through light and selective focus which blends the edges of Schiff’s subjects and creates soft, shadowed lines. Light plays a crucial role in Schiff’s impressionist photo technique which emphasizes color over line. Schiff’s technique eliminates detail, and captures instead the unique essence of his subjects, whether it’s human, place, nature or thing.

Rapture, as a series, is an extension of the flâneur, or street photography, featuring chance encounters in the urban sphere. Framing and timing are key aspects of Schiff’s craft. Schiff’s subjects in this series are everyday people going about their lives, which requires a keen eye for time and place, lighting and behavior in those surrounding him. Rapture depicts a decisive or poignant moment in our times. Schiff captures individuals in complex moments of thought, enjoyment, and reflection as well as those who are completely absent minded, walking briskly through the rat-race portion of their days, reflecting the zeitgeist of our time. The work comes from an emotional place, an instinct that extends into a concept carried out in composition and style.

To The Girl Who Still Has Her Mom This Christmas

To the girl who is blessed enough to have her momma this Christmas, please remember to soak every last bit of it in.

Please remember to hug her so tight, that the way she smells is locked into your nose. Listen to all the stories you've heard a million times, like you've never heard a single one. Help her, even if it seems completely silly to you, help her mix that cake. Laugh, oh please laugh. Laugh at all her corky ways, at the way she mispronounces words, try's to be hip and use new found lingo, or how she cusses when she forgot to get the rolls out of the oven but quickly asks the Lord for forgiveness. Remember her laugh, etch it into your brain. Make her happy, if she wants to go riding around looking at Christmas lights down the same streets you've went for years, do it. Don't fuss, take her advice, agree to just disagree on things. It's not worth it. Most importantly, remind her over and over how much you love her.

Because unlike you, I'm not able to see my mom on Christmas. I'm not able to see her on birthdays, Thanksgiving, or any other occasion. My time with her is up. Death is the most permanent heartbreak.

How I long to hear her voice, her laugh. To feel her tight embrace. Smell, oh god, what I would give to just be able to smell her. I would absolutely love to go riding around for hours while she ohhs and ahhs at every single house we pass. If I had the opportunity I'd tell her just how much I love her, how I'm so thankful for all the sacrifices she made for me. In fact, I'm not sure I could ever tell her enough.

Some days I wake up and it still doesn't feel real. Others, I panic trying to remember exactly how she sounded. Because, I don't want to forget. I don't want to forget a single characteristic about her. Not one.

Take time, not just on holidays, or special occasions to be with your mom. Even if it's just you two piled up watching reruns of "The Little House on the Prairie", soak it in.

You only get one momma. Nobody could ever take her place. She's your rock.

25 Moments Of 'A Christmas Story' You Remember While Watching It 10 Times In A Row On Christmas

Let's be real, you can't go through the holiday season without watching "A Christmas Story." It's a classic. I have to watch it at least once around Christmastime. Since it's iconic, it's very easy to remember everything that goes on throughout the film. Here are twenty five of the most memorable moments of the movie.